When we talk about a reliable and trusted network security it refers to a broad term that covers a multitude of technologies, gadgets, devices and processes. But to simplify it, a network security is the protection provided to the underlying networking infrastructure against unauthorized access, misuse, hack or theft. It involves creating or making a secured infrastructure, devices, gadgets, users and apps in order to work in a more secured manner.
A reliable and trusted network security may also consists of the polices, processes and practices that have been implemented in order to detect, prevent, thwart and monitor unauthorized access, misuse and modification or even denial of computer network and network-accessible resources.
This also involves the authorization of access of data in a network, usually controlled by the network administrator. Users either choose or are given an ID and password or any other authenticating info that lets them gain access to the information and programs within their authority. Network security also covers a range of computer networks that are utilized in everyday jobs like doing transactions and communicating among businesses, government agencies and individuals.
A network can be any of the following: it can be a private like those within a company, or it can be those that are open to public access. Network security is involved in organizations, businesses, and to different types of institutions. Network security, as the name suggests, secures and protects the network as well as overseeing operations.
The most usual and simplest way to protect a network is by assigning or giving it a unique name and its own password.
The Concept of Network Security
Network security typically begins with the authentication, usually employing a username and a password. However, since this process needs just one detail authenticating the username and that is the password, this sometimes termed as a one-factor authentication. But for a two-factor authentication, the user will usually use what he “has” like a security token, a dongle, an ATM or a mobile phone. Something the use “is” is also used like his fingerprint or a retinal scan is used in a three-factor authentication.
And once the user is authenticated, a firewall imposes access policies like what services are allowed to be accessed by the network users. This is effective to prevent unauthorized access but is not totally fail proof as this part may fail to check potentially malicious and harmful content like a computer worm or Trojans that are being transmitted and spread over the network.
An Intrusion Prevention System (IPS) or your anti-virus software can help detect and prevent the “invasion” of the malware. An anomaly-based intrusion detection system can also help by monitoring the network like a wireshark traffic and may be logged for audit functions and for later high-level analysis.
Systems that are relatively newer or are updated typically combine unsupervised machine learning with full network traffic. This lets them detect active network hackers from malicious insiders or identified external attackers that have affected a user gadget or account.
Communication between two hosts employing a network may be encrypted in order to maintain security and privacy.
To act as a distraction or to decoy network accessible resources, honeypots can be launched in a network as surveillance and as an early-warning device. This is so since Honeypots are not normally accessed for legitimate purposes. They are put in placed at a point in the network where it looks vulnerable and are open to attack, when in fact, these honeypots are actually isolated and watched.
Techniques employed by hackers and attackers that attempt to compromise these honeypots are studied and after an attack to keep an eye on new attacking styles and techniques. Such analysis may be maximized in order to add more security of the actual network that is being protected by the decoy.
Furthermore, these decoys or these trusted network security can also direct the attacker’s attention away from the legitimate servers. These decoys encourage attackers to spend their time and energy on the honeypots’ server while distracting their attention from the data on the real server.
A honeynet, just like the honyepot, is a network setup with intentional vulnerabilities. The purpose of the honeynet is also to attract and invite attacks in order to scrutinize and study the methods and techniques employed by the attackers, and at the same time those information can be used in order to increase the network security. A Honeynet is typically composed of one or more honeypots.
Security Management
Not all security management are at all alike. In fact, they differ or vary depending on the situation. Your home or small business may only need a basic network security, while those in big businesses may need a more sophisticated security which require high-maintenance and are equipped with very advanced software and hardware. These trusted security networks prevents malicious attacks from hacking and/or spamming the network. To minimize if not totally prevent the susceptibility to these malicious attacks from external threats to the network, these large businesses usually maximize tools which can do complex network security verifications.
Types of attack
Networks are always prone to attacks from various malicious sources. These attacks can either be passive or active. Thus, it is advisable to install a reliable and trusted network security solution in order to avert any of these attacks.
Active attack refers to an intruder which initiates commands in order to disrupt or interrupt the network’s normal operation. Active attacks can always mean that the attacker does a reconnaissance and lateral moves for them to find and gain access to whatever valuable data or information available through the network. On the other hand a passive attack means that the intruder intercept the data being transmitted through the network. Below are the different types of passive and active attacks:
Passive Attacks
- Network
- Wiretapping
- Passive Port Scanner
- Idle Scan
- Encryption
- Traffic Analysis
Active Attacks
- Virus
- Eavesdropping
- Data modification
- Denial-of-service attack
- Active Port scanner
- DNS spoofing
- Man in the middle
- ARP poisoning
- VLAN hopping
- Smurf attack
- Buffer overflow
- Heap overflow
- Format string attack
- SQL injection
- Phishing
- Cross-site scripting
- CSRF
- Cyber-attack
How does a trusted network security work?
When considering how this works, there are lots of layers to address network security across an organization. As we all know, attacks, passive or active, can happen at any layer in the network security layers model. Thus, the security hardware of your network, its software and policies has be designed and crafted carefully in order to address each area.
A reliable and trusted network security usually has three different controls namely, physical, technical and the administrative. Here is a short description of the different types of network security and their corresponding functions.
Physical Network Security
This type of security network are developed in order to thwart unauthorized personnel from gaining physical access to the network components like the routers, cabling cupboards and a lot more. Controlled access like the locks, biometric authentication, and other devices or gadgets is vital and important in any organization.
Technical Network Security
The technical security control help protect the data inside the network or data that are being transmitted across the network, into r out of it. The protection is dual, meaning it has to have the protection from any malicious activities from the employees while it protects the data and the systems from any unauthorized personnel.
Administrative Network Security
This last type consists of security policies and processes that manipulate or control the behavior of the user; this includes how they are authenticated, their level of access and how the IT staff members also execute any modifications to the infrastructure.
What are the Types of Network Security?
We have discussed about the various types of network security controls. Below, we will be talking about the different ways that you can do to further secure your network from attacks.
Network Access Control (NAC)
In order that any potential attackers cannot gain access or infiltrate your network, a comprehensive access control policies has to be designed for both the user and the devices. The Network Access Control or the NAC can be placed strategically at the most granular level. For example: the owner can give full access to the network but they can also deny access to specific confidential folders or they can block other devices from joining the network.
Antivirus and Antimalware Software
These software were developed and designed to ensure that optimum protection is given to your network from a range of malicious software. Among the malicious software that could potentially harm your network includes: viruses, ransomware, worms and Trojans. Antivirus and Antimalware software can scan files when uploaded to the network and at the same time continuously scans and tracks them.
Firewall Protection
As the name firewall suggests, it act as a barrier or a barricade between a suspicious external network and your own trusted internal network. The administrators will usually configure a set of defined policies and rules that either blocks or allow traffic into the network. One typical example is the Next Generation Firewall or the NGFW. This firewall was developed to provide flawless and centrally managed control of network traffic regardless if it is physical, virtual or in the cloud. There are other reliable and trusted firewall software today, all claims to provide protection to your network.
Virtual Private Networks (VPN)
The Virtual Private Network or VPN provides a connection to the network from another site. VPS for example allows users working from their home to connect to the organization’s network. The data between the two points is encrypted and the user should have to be authenticated first before he can communicate between their device and the network. One VPN allows organizations to swiftly make VPNs using drag-and drop and to protect all locations with their Next Generation Firewall Solution.
Network Security for Business and for Consumers
Regardless if you are a consumer or have a huge business, your network should always be protected. In fact network security has to be one of your top priorities especially when you are dealing with networked data and systems. Moreover, aside from protecting your assets and the integrity of data coming from external threats, network security can also efficiently manage network traffic. It can enhance and improve network performance and at the same time ensure secure data sharing between your employees and the data sources.
Behavioral Analytics
To detect or determine anomalies in the network or abnormal network behavior, you should know what this should look like. Behavioral analytic tools automatically distinguish activities that deviate from the norm. If you have a team of experts, they can quickly identify indicators of compromise that can pose dangers or potential problems, and provide remedy.
Cloud Security
This is a broad set of technologies, policies and apps that are applied or used to protect online IP, services, apps and other imperative data. Cloud security provide the help which allows you to manage your security better thru shielding users from threats anywhere they open the internet and obtaining data and applications in the cloud.
Data Loss Prevention
Businesses should make sure that their people must not send any sensitive information about the organization outside the network. Data Loss Prevention or simply DLP can prevent people from uploading, sharing, forwarding and even printing vital information in a more malicious manner.
Email Security
One of the most breached area in an organization is their emails. These are gateways for a security breach and hackers will usually use personal information and social engineering techniques in order to build sophisticated phishing styles and campaigns just to mislead or trick the recipients and send them to sites serving malware. With an email security application, emails are blocked and control outbound messages in order to avoid any loss of sensitive data.
Mobile Device Security
We are in a world wherein more things are hooked to the net. And cybercriminals know this too. They have become more sophisticated and daring, as they increasingly targets mobile devices and applications. It is said that within the next three years or so, about 90% of all IT organization may have to have support corporate apps on personal mobile devices and gadgets. Obviously, the user has to control which device can have the access to your network. You will also have to reconfigure the connections in order to keep the network traffic secured and private. Thus having a trusted network security solution like a mobile device security can ensure adequate protection for your business and organization.
Wireless Security
As compared to the wired security, wireless security is not as secured and reliable. Without any strict security measure in place, putting up a wireless LAN is akin to having Ethernet ports everywhere. In order to avoid any illegal activities or any malicious intent, user should have products that are specifically designed to protect their wireless network. However, having this can still be a reliable and trusted network security solution compared to having none at all.
Web Security
Installing a web security will protect your organization from any web-based threats, control your staff’s web use and deny access to any malicious websites that could compromise your network. Web Security will also protect your own gateway wither on site or in the cloud. This security app can also refer to as the step you took to protect your own site.
Security Information and Event Management (SIEM)
The Security Information and Event Management (SIEM) product simply pulls together all or any vital information that your network security team needs and require to know, determine, identify and eventually respond to threats. SIEM products can come in different forms and this may include physical and virtual appliances and server software.
Other trusted network security solutions may include:
SecureX which is basically a cloud-based, built-in platform. This can lessen dwell time and other human-powered jobs.
So, how do one benefit from having a reliable and trusted network security?
The internet of things and the digitization has totally changed our world. It affects how we play, work, learn and even how we communicate. Every business today, all organization wants to deliver the services that their customers and clients wants and at the same time help their staff provide the necessities and the knowledge in order to give what your clients want. And due to the interaction between your clients and customers and your staff virtually, network breach is inevitable. Malicious attacks becomes evident and that is why a reliable and very trusted network security solution has to be in place in order to protect propriety information from hackers. And by protecting your network, you are ultimately protecting your interest and your reputation as well.
Today, there are lots of tools and apps, and utilities, and trusted network security solution available out there. They can provide the help that you need in order to have a more secure network. They can protect you from attacks and unnecessary downtime. There are businesses that offer a suite of reliable and trusted network security solutions that can centralize and at the same time simplify those usually complex processes, while guarantees a more robust security is in place all over your organization.